


Night Flight

by LadyArrowhead



Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Additional Tags added when they apply, Alternative Universe - Urban Fantasy, Billy is the Sorcerer Supreme's Apprentice, Gargoyle AU, M/M, Teddy is a gargoyle and Billy finds it super hot but psst, World of Darkness inspired but you don't need to know anything really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 03:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9949826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyArrowhead/pseuds/LadyArrowhead
Summary: Billy Kaplan, the Sorcerer Supreme’s apprentice, has been sent to the Reqiuem Theatre on a mission. Magically-gifted people have started to disappear and Billy is supposed to find out why. As he emerges through the old fairy tale-like building, he makes the acquaintance of a gargoyle flock, including Teddy. Far from home, Billy begins to notice that there is more than just The Circle, that nothing is what it seems and that taking flight is a lot easier when you are not alone.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My childhood-self who has had a huge crush on Goliath from Gargoyles would be so proud of me. A huge thanks goes out to tony_octopus for being the sweetest beta-reader one could ever wish for.

Despite its desolation, the old theatre down the street was beautiful. Erected at the end of 19th century, it had since become a ruin of most wondrous beauty. The old stone walls covered by wild wine and flowers, and the moon shining through the shattered rooftop gave it an almost fairytale-like appearance. However, there was a reason this ruin of beauty remained untouched until today, both by mortals and immortals alike.

The Requiem Theatre was in fact haunted. No one could say by what, since visitors who had been able to leave the desolate place fell quiet the moment they were asked about their experiences. So, of course, the Sorcerer Supreme had one day decided to send his apprentice out to uncover the secrets of this dark place. Alone.

What could ever go wrong?

Billy pulled his red cloak around himself, glad for his leather gloves that protected his fingers on this cold night. While the days were still warm in September, the nights already gave him goose bumps just thinking about them. And a witch’s hands needed to be protected just like their tongue.

“I want a light, a small light to guide me through the dark.”

The magic on his lips was as swift as a small kiss, a quick taste of fire and wind, lingering on his lips while a small flame appeared in front of his face, quickly hovering to the side, easily led by his fingers like a flashlight. 

The foyer’s wooden floor was partly consumed by moss and grass, but what little wood was left echoed after each of his steps, no matter how quietly Billy tried to advance. Yet, even as he passed the hallway to the auditorium, he could not help but admire once more how untouched the scenery appeared. Even the pictures, old portraits and landscapes from another time, looked like no one had moved them since the first day they had been placed.

The auditorium especially took his breath away. Red velvet seats lead up to a stage that was completely covered in moonlight, the balconies decorated with gargoyles reaching out for the sadly absent audience. Billy could easily imagine why the Sorcerer Supreme was so interested in this place. Moonlight rituals could be performed by large circles, speeches held in front of young magic users like himself. The Requiem basically screamed magic and yet…

“No magical activity”, he mumbled. “Not even the slightest hint of a spell.”

Magic was a whisper ever present, be it witch, mage, or sorcerer that allowed themselves to use her, but she was absent from this very place. No rogue-magic user was living here, which eased Billy’s breath. He could do without a few necromancers.

A soft breeze tugged at his already messy hair, like laughter at an obvious answer. Billy knew for a fact that vampires longed for this place, outbidding themselves with curious non-gifted mortals who either wanted to tear the ruin down or return it to its former glory.

As Billy walked to the stage, he looked once more at the full moon that seemed almost as bright as the sun itself. He was not sure if he fully supported his master’s interest in this place. Whatever was haunting it (ghosts maybe? No, ghosts longed to be with people and preferred places that attracted them, not solitude), obviously took good care of this place.

He stopped as he reached the front row, carefully touching the velvet of the seats.  
“No dust?”

Did someone clean this place?

It took about a second to realize which creatures cared this much for their homes, for the old stone walls and the memory of forgotten times. Creatures that did not live alone but preferred to be left to themselves. Creatures the non-gifted and gifted feared, creatures vampires did not dare to deal with. 

Another breeze tugged on his cloak, stronger, laughing at how long it had taken the witch to notice that since he had entered the auditorium he had not been alone. 

They came from the balconies, for a moment unmoving, for a second just stone, as they spread their wings and reached out for him. Billy hissed in shock, jumping the wooden stairs up towards the stage, spreading his arms left and right as two gargoyles rushed in his direction.

“I want you to stay away from me! Iwantyoutostayatthebalcony!” he shouted, feeling the familiar tingle of magic on his arms and fingers. Just as the flame by his side turned light blue, a glow of the same colour enveloped his leather-gloved hands. The beasts hissed as they hit the stone balconies, ready to charge again. Billy rushed to the middle of the stage, preparing yet another spell, unspoken words on his tongue, as he noticed the curtain closing in front of him.

“Wait.”

As if he had a choice but to wait. The closed curtain made it necessary to turn around, but he did not know what hid backstage. So the witch stayed ready, arms still outstretched, the aftermath of magic herself pulsing through his veins. At the top of the curtains, back where no mortal could reach without help, another gargoyle was seated, holding the ropes that held the curtain in its place.

“Please, wait.”

The beast fastened the rope with a well-practised knot before joining him on the wooden stage. From up close he appeared to be several feet taller than a normal human being, his skin a shade of mossy green, his eyes the colour of the sky. 

Billy did not know much about gargoyles, only that they lived in flocks. That they were not born but created. Yet, when he saw the stranger’s face, it seemed almost too young to be simply created. A hint of outgrown boyishness, the picture of a young man instead. Still, what Billy noted most obviously was his handsomeness.

“It’s not like I have many places to go anyway.”

“That did not stop most of the others from running.”

Billy shrugged, trying to keep calm. Maybe he should have asked someone to come along, despite the Sorcerer Supreme’s bidding. His brother had begged him not to go alone, and here he was now, staring at the consequences of not listening to his twin.

“Sounds like you are speaking from experience”, Billy said, carefully lowering his hands just a little. Unlike his violent predecessors, this one seemed to be eager to talk. “Care to elaborate?”

The gargoyle shook his head, his focus wandering from Billy’s face to his hands.

“I think we both know you shouldn’t be here”, he replied, his voice rough like hard stone itself, an echo of the past, “I think everyone within this town knows that entering our home is forbidden.” With a deep sigh he turned around, gesturing for him to follow. “Yet, people come here, no matter what we do, again and again.”

Reluctantly he fell in step, keeping his torchlight close to his face. It would not be much in the way of protection, but enough to blind his rather tall opponent to give Billy time for another spell. The backstage was even better cared for than the auditorium. The floor was completely intact, a few heaters placed to give warmth in the night, and here and there Billy could even spot traces of shirts and pants.

“Well, leaving no survivors certainly makes people come and wonder what happened to their friends.”

The gargoyle turned around, shooting a worried expression in his direction.

“We only fought those who kept fighting back. Mostly, we give them a good scare and then they leave.” Sighing, he placed his hand on top of his head, frowning, before realizing that there was no hair to caress. 

Odd, Billy thought.  
“So, what about me then? Will I be fought as well?”

His opponent shook his head, flapping with his wings once. They had arrived at another door that looked far more modern than the rest of the theatre’s innards. Several locks held it closed and his conversational partner began to slowly open each of them.

“My name is Teddy”, the gargoyle replied instead, “And I’m showing you the way out.”

Billy took a step backwards, raising his voice, magic on his tongue, “ Iwanttostay,Iwantto-“

Despite his body being made of stone, Teddy The Gargoyle seemed to possess enough speed to grab Billy’s shoulder and pull him close, pressing a hand over his mouth.

“I’m saving you, human.”

He dragged him out of the door and into the night before Billy could protest further. The cold hit him in the face, almost biting, and as Teddy let him go, Billy immediately pulled his red cloak a bit closer.

Teddy had led him to an open auditorium under the night sky, walls of the theatre completely surrounding it. Within the silver light of the moon it looked like a midnight garden, herbs and flowers completely overgrowing what was left of a Greek-inspired stage. 

“Pretty, but still trapped.” Rubbing his arm, Billy took a few steps backwards, “Tell me again how this amounts to saving me.”

“Before I save you…”, the blue of Teddy’s eyes turned a bit darker, his wings spread, making him appear like the few gargoyles Billy had seen in books, “You have to tell me why you came here.”

The witch withstood the urge to roll his eyes at his ‘saviour’.

“Saving usually does not work on conditions.”

Teddy’s lips twitched just slightly, the rest of his body still tense. The gargoyle came one step closer, just as Billy took one step back. 

“This is a nice theatre, a good place to be at. Yet, whenever someone enters, they either disappear or are scared. Naturally, we wanted to find the cause of that”, he tried to explain, focusing to keep his voice soft to not anger the creature, but it did not work. What softness had been in Teddy’s face slowly faded to the expression of a trained warrior.

“You have homes. The stars have faded against the light you produce, the trees and rivers have been caged or slain. You have no need for this place.”

“Just as you have no need to hurt other people.” Carefully, he directed the torchlight between them, dipping them both into warm light. “Yet, you still do. So we try to find out what keeps hurting-“

“We? Is there a second person with you?”

“N-no, I just meant the people I work with. The people I live with. My people.”

Teddy paused, the stoicism of a warrior turning to utter confusion.

“A whole people are concerned about a single flock?”

“No, no, not a real people, more like...magic users?”

The gargoyle grimaced, once more trying to run his hand through his hair.  
“So they send just you? If they are so curious why not send more people?”

Tommy had asked him the same. Back then, Billy had explained to him the necessity of going alone, the trust his master had put into him and his actions by sending him alone on a dangerous task like this. Yet, in retrospect, he could not help but feel his stomach twist a little.

It had not even taken him an hour to find out what exactly haunted the Requiem Theatre. And, looking back at it, he might have been able to do that even earlier had he looked at the right signs. A mistake an amateur could make but the Sorcerer Supreme himself? Doubtful.

Teddy seemed to agree, an expression of pity watering the dark blue of his eyes to a lighter shade.  
“Could it be they knew all along?”

“T-...but that would not make a lot of sense”, Billy mumbled, the torchlight flickering between the two of them. “Maybe he did know, but sent me to make sure.”

The blue got even lighter.

“Maybe he has enough trust in my abilities? Or maybe he thought that we could talk like you and I are talking now?” Or maybe, maybe the Sorcerer Supreme was not as fond of his apprentice as he had been a few weeks ago. 

He took a seat on one of the benches made of stone, trying to come to a conclusion with grace. Teddy’s focus still remained on him, yet the gargoyle relaxed, wings and shoulders sinking just a little as he approached Billy.

“Are you okay?”

His voice still had the sound of stones and caves, of old buildings and memories. Yet, it also had softened a little, even gained some warmth. Billy couldn’t help but snort at this gentleness, something a lot of people did not have time to show.

“Are you laughing at me?” Teddy asked, still smiling but with a frown.

“For someone who just was about to attack me you are awfully nice.”

The gargoyle chuckled nervously, taking a few respectful steps to the side. “Well, it’s not like you are giving me much reason to be mean. I’m just protecting our home, that is all. And you don’t look like you mean to harm someone.”

Billy sighed. “Of course not. I don’t want to hurt people.”

“Including gargoyles?”

“Yes! Of course including gargoyles.”

Teddy’s grateful smile surprised him. Gently, the gargoyle stretched his hand out in his direction,  
“Then let us make sure that my flock will not harm you as well, witch.”

“It’s Billy, actually”, he confessed, shaking Teddy’s hand, a huge, green claw that seemed to swallow his human hand as Teddy carefully shook it. Yet, it was strangely warm, different from the cold he had imagined. The again, Teddy was very different from the gargoyles he had read about.

The gargoyle pulled Billy to his feet, placing another claw around the witch’s waist.  
“Why are you-“

“I’m getting you out of here, just as I promised.” With a smirk, Teddy pulled him close, flapped his wings twice before jumping forward, rising into the air. While for a moment Billy had been calm and relaxed, the more they left the ground behind him, the tighter he held on to his rescuer’s body. It wasn’t that he had not flown before, his powers allowed already him to hover while reading or meditating but he had never attempted outright flying by himself.

Teddy, giving him an unguarded, genuine smile, gripped him a little tighter as well. Below them the streets were illuminated by the city lights. They left the fairytale behind with the theatre as they returned closer and closer to downtown. 

Billy could not find the patience to enjoy it, his thoughts returning back to the fact the Sorcerer had sent him into danger on purpose. He needed time to think, to talk to Tommy and wonder what to do next. He could simply pretend nothing happened, since after all he had found out about the inhabitants of the theatre, which was what his task had been. He could ask the Sorcerer Supreme why he, his apprentice, a witch still in training, had been sent out all by himself. 

Teddy cleared his throat, and thus earned Billy’s attention. With an apologetic smile, the gargoyle bent his head closer and explained,  
“You did say you were alright but you do not look like it. I planned to just drop you off at the next park but you look a bit sick. Want me to get you home?”

Billy managed to give him a polite smile.  
“I just have some thinking to do. Anywhere is fine.”

The gargoyle did not make any attempts at landing. Billy could not help but notice how smooth his stone skin seemed, how unusual the green colouring was and how Teddy appeared to him as anything but scary.  
“I could maybe show you a good place to think? A place to rent a room?”

Teddy’s kindness was what surprised him the most throughout this long evening. It was the last he had expected on an already confusing evening like this. Kindness.

“Why are you helping me?”, he managed to ask. Teddy grinned with embarrassment and nervously averted his gaze but did not answer right away. “I could have hurt you.”

“You were so careful when you entered the theatre. You pushed my family back instead of striking them. You could have hurt us but you did not, so neither will I. I think you seem nice.”

A feeling of relief spread through his body. He felt almost foolish for breaking into laughter, but it was hard to stop now that he had started. 

“You are nice, too”, he managed to say, watching his companion relax a little at his words. “It’s just that a lot of people I meet are not nice. I thought I had met most of them already.”

“Not all of them it seems”, Teddy replied with the hint of a smile.

“No”, Billy agreed, “Definitely not all.”

And while the future was anything but certain, as endless as the stars above them, in this very moment Billy allowed himself to relax and enjoy the wind in his hair. If there was one thing that was certain in his life, it was the sheer possibility of meeting a friend when he least expected it.


End file.
